Getting to know you: James Walker, founder, Lightning Oak
Summary
In this Business Matters profile, James sets out the one question behind his work with boards, founders and investors: “how do you know that what you are being told is true?” It ran through his career in internal audit, from Santander and Investec to Credit Suisse and UBS, and now shapes four kinds of work: due diligence for investors, support for internal audit teams, advice to leaders facing a hard decision and his own board seats.
His way of working comes down to two things: the challenge that needs to be heard, and the influence that makes it land. Anyone who brings him onto a board or into a business gets someone who will say the difficult thing, on evidence rather than opinion and early enough to reach the right decision. He backs the people he challenges while they put things right, because “challenge without support is just criticism”.
Three key points
- Nobody should meet a hard message for the first time in a report, so the scope is explained before work starts.
- Anyone starting out should find the person who will tell them what they do not want to hear, before they need them.
- Decisions belong in writing, with the reasons: much of the chaos he sees in growing businesses is good decisions nobody can remember making.
Read the interview
The summary above draws on a longer conversation. Business Matters publishes the interview in full, including the question behind Lightning Oak and the advice James gives anyone starting out.
Insights
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Explore your own question further
In a particular organisation, the detail can change how these points apply. James is happy to hear from anyone weighing them up for their own board, audit function or deal. This page summarises an interview published elsewhere, and is not advice on any particular situation.